Why does Hugh Grant find his character in A Place Called Notting Hill ‘despicable’?

Despite the role of William Thacker in A Place Called Notting Hill (1999), film directed by Roger Michell and also starring Julia Roberts (Anna Scott), to be one of the main career Hugh Grantthe actor finds the character “despicable.”

In an interview with Vanity Fair, grant recalled working on the iconic romantic comedy, whose synopsis reads: “William Thacker He owns a bookshop in London. The monotony of her existence is romantically tumultuous when the famous American actress Anna Scott appears in your store. A chance encounter over spilled orange juice leads to a kiss that begins a love affair. As he and the glamorous movie star grow closer, they struggle to reconcile their radically different lifestyles in the name of love.”

The cast also included Richard McCabe (Tony), Rhys Ifans (Spike), James Dreyfus (Martin), between others. About production, Hugh Grant spared no criticism of his character.

“Whenever I’m switching channels at home after a few drinks and this happens, I think, ‘Why doesn’t my character have the courage?'” he said, before taking issue with one particular scene involving Will and Anna.

There’s a scene in this movie where she’s at my house and the paparazzi come to the front door and ring the doorbell, and I think I just let her walk past me and open the door, and that’s horrible. I’ve never had a girlfriend, or rather a wife, who didn’t say, ‘Why the hell didn’t you stop her? What’s wrong with you?’ And I don’t really have an answer for that. That’s how it was written and I think he’s despicable, really.

Finally, grant praised the performance of Julia Roberts: “Probably the whole time with Julia, like with any brilliant actress, you think, ‘Oh, Christ, they’re really good. I’m not going to be as good as her.’ And she’s great at emoting, and she has this kind of quality where it feels like her skin is as thin as a cookie. You can kind of see into her soul.”